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Sundance Spotlight: Meet the Festival’s Rising Stars

We didn’t quite know what to expect heading into our first Sundance Film Festival, but the annual Park City, Utah, event didn’t disappoint. The scene: a snowy Main Street lined with cool theaters, quaint shops, bustling restaurants, and exclusive pop-ups. And nestled in the heart of it all was our very own destination, the Who What Wear x Vida Tequila x Glam App Lounge, where celebs escaped the winter chill to talk film, fashion, and more!

The roster: some of film and television’s most promising talent, from The Girlfriend Experience’s Riley Keough to the brilliantly outspoken Amandla Stenberg, and each offered her own fresh take on winter dressing. Gorgeous knits and the coolest outerwear is just a quick scroll away, so keep reading for our exclusive Sundance Spotlight.

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Riley Keough

WHAT: actress, The Girlfriend Experience and Lovesong

Playing Christine Reade, a law student by day and high class escort by night, in The Girlfriend Experience did come with its fair share of uncomfortable scenes, but that didn’t seem to faze Keough going into the project. “I had reservations on what the point of the show was more than reservations on being naked or whatever, because I don’t really have a problem with that,” she says.

On her GFE character: “You know, you don’t get a lot of characters for females who are allowed to be assholes or say what they are feeling or are not super emotional like normal women or who are kind of borderline sociopath or really like sex or things like that that a man plays often.”

On filming sex scenes: “I don’t really like preparing for this kind of stuff, so it was a good opportunity not to. A lot of the times, you have so much time to think about things, and with the schedule of GFE, I didn’t really have time to think about any scenes that I was about to shoot ever, except for maybe the ones I was going to do in, like, an hour. I just kind of went for it. I was like f*ck, this could be really crazy and f*ck with my head, but it didn’t, which was surprising. Maybe I’m just a sociopath.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Amy Seimetz

WHAT: director and actress, The Girlfriend Experience

When executive producer Steven Soderbergh asked Seimetz to direct the 13-part Starz series, Seimetz couldn’t refuse, telling us, “I like anything where it’s women who are a little off from normal, or are crazy in a way, and exploring that internally for female characters.”

On the role of Christine: “It’s not every woman who could do that job. For some women, that would be their kryptonite. They would just buckle at the knees and be like, I can’t, this is insane. But for her, I think she is getting off on all of the things that make most women really scared. This is dangerous, this is exciting and sort of crazy. I think she feeds off that energy in a way that not all women do.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Kate Lyn Sheil

WHAT: actress, The Girlfriend Experience

Kate Lyn Sheil shines opposite Riley Keough as the unpredictable and often unstable Avery, Christine’s law school classmate who introduces her to the business of escorting. “I feel the same about nudity [as Riley] I would say,” Sheil laughed. But I knew coming into it with Amy at the helm that it would be the most interesting perspective that you could have.”

On what drew her to the role: Amy and I had made Sun Don’t Shine before, plus Riley was going to be in it. But also the chance to play a female character that is vulnerable in a million different ways but is not dealing with those feelings in perhaps ways that are represented often. And I like strong women at the same time, obviously.

On the most awkward part of filming: “In terms of filming, I think doing ADR sex noises in the closet, that sucked.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Amandla Stenberg

WHAT: actress, As You Are

As a biracial teen, Amandla Stenberg is all too familiar with her As Your Are character’s struggle to fit in in a white suburban neighborhood. “I’m still in high school, and I go to a primarily white school. When I was younger, I really strongly identified with the black part of myself, and then when I went to private school, it kind of shifted things for me and I started identifying with the white part of myself to adapt to the circumstance.”

On how the film speaks to today’s youth: “The film has a lot to do with themes of sexuality and homosexuality and being true to yourself in an environment that is not conducive to being yourself and who you are. I am really glad there is a lot more representation for people from the LGBT community. It’s an important issue and I’m glad to see those members being represented in film.”

On finding her voice and self-confidence: “When I was younger, my mom taught me a lot of those ideals around identity. Then when I went to school, I found myself pushing my blackness away, because it made me feel more "other" in my environment. I don’t think it was until 10th or 11th grade that I started to re-experience and redefine myself. And that’s honestly because of the Internet. That’s why I think the Internet is so cool, and I love social media because you are able to find role models who are not necessarily the most conservative or what we see in the mainstream media. You are able to find people with voices and really cool style, and I’ve been able to find through Instagram some really sick women who I can relate to and identify with, and they have become the celebrities to me. “

On opening up about being bisexual: “It has been an interesting process to see the response to that. But I’m really grateful to those people who have been really supportive of me. I feel better, because I’m being as genuine with my followers and fans as possible. I don’t want to hide any components of my identity. So that’s something I’m really passionate about and the other reason I’m excited for the film.”

On her best fashion advice for friends: “This sounds cliché, but you are going to look the best in anything you feel comfortable in. I feel like while clothes are important, the most important thing is if they are what you want to wear and if they are who you are. How you wear it is 95% of it.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Mary Elizabeth Winstead

WHAT: actress, Swiss Army Man

It doesn’t get any stranger than a man befriending a dead body on an island in the Pacific, but it’s precisely that storyline (and directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) that had Mary Elizabeth go all-in for Swiss Army Man. “I was just like, this is going to be so different and so unlike anything any of us have ever been involved in, and I just wanted to be along for the ride.”

On her Swiss Army Man character: “She’s a bit of a mysterious character in the film. For a good portion of the film, she’s just a picture on a phone. Paul Dano is sort of lost on an island in the Pacific at the beginning, and he befriends this dead body played by Daniel Radcliffe. At one point, they see this picture on a phone, and Daniel’s character becomes very infatuated with this photo, and basically Paul Dano’s character teaches him all about life and love, and this photo becomes this sort of driving force for him of wanting to be alive. And so they go on this quest to find this girl, and they find her and unexpected things happen.”

On set life: “The Daniels are just like, I mean, before the screening yesterday, they did an exercise, like a warm-up exercise with the whole audience, and that was what it was like on set, too. It was like being at camp. We did a lot of that kind of stuff, especially because we were out in the woods. It was just the most fun, crazy, almost childlike environment, which I think most actors kind of get into because we don’t want to grow up. It was the best experience.”

On her personal style: “I’m not someone who has a super-huge awareness of everything that’s going on in fashion all the time, but I do love clothes, and I love putting together a look. I have a friend who always makes fun of me every time he sees me. He was like, ‘You know what, I have to give it to you, you are not afraid of a look.’ I think in everyday life, I kind of go for themes. I’ll be having a ’60s theme or I’ll be having a librarian theme. I think maybe it just comes from being an actor. I just like a little bit of dress-up.”

On styling herself: “I’ve gotten better at just asking for things myself. This year, I’ve kind of made a point to try and work on that, which has been a fun experience to do it all myself. I like to do my own hair and makeup, too, and kind of create it from the ground up. I try not to take it too seriously, which can be hard because now we are in the age where everybody is going to comment on it. But at the same time, I’m an actor, not a professional fashion person. I feel like I do enjoy the process of it. It is kind of fun to go and pick things out on my own. And sometimes you fail, sometimes it turns out well, but it’s a fun process.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Emma Greenwell

WHAT: actress, Love & Friendship

From one Jane Austen novel to another. Having just finished Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Greenwell felt right at home on the Ireland set of Love & Friendship, Whit Stillman’s film adaptation of Jane Austen’s lesser-known Lady Susan. “I had the same driver from when I was there before. It was so nice and really sweet.”

On the film’s 18th-century costumes: “I did two Austens in a row, but weird Austens, not typical ones. You spent a bit more time getting into and out of your costume, and the corsets were definitely not fun. It was very hard to go to the bathroom or really eat. They put this bum roll on you so you look like you have a really nice booty, and I had this really nice green lace dress, which I thought was really cool.”

On her wardrobe standbys: “I have this vintage little pinafore dress that I constantly wear. You can layer it in the winter, and you can wear it in the summer with sandals. It’s just one of those pieces that I always bring out. It’s black and white and goes with everything. And then I have a really nice Burberry jacket, which now living in New York I always wear.”

On what’s next: “I’m almost finished with this new TV show that is coming out in March. I think one day I would love to do a French film. My mother is French. I don’t speak French, but one day I would like to go over there and see if I can do it. I think French cinema is really great.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: India Menuez

WHAT: actress, White Girl

Rehearsal time for Elizabeth Wood’s new film, White Girl, called for stars Morgan Saylor, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, and India Menuez to party it up in New York City. “It’s a story that’s loosely inspired by things that were happening in Wood’s life, who is the director and also wrote it,” Menuez says. “She’s in her early 20s and just moved to the city from Middle America, so you see all the bad decisions that come with this newfound freedom.”

On the film’s message: A lot of people are going to say this, but it is really raw; it’s a graphic movie, but there’s a payoff for it. Gentrification, gender, race, these are things we need to be thinking about, and I think it’s so great that this movie [covers all of that]. It seems like this very fun, youthful, exciting movie, but then there are all these dark parts to it that you then have to digest and work through and question where are these issues coming from and how do we write them moving forward? So for me, that was really exciting, and also, just working with a strong female director is always such a treat.

On her character Katie: “I thought I related to Katie. A lot of what [the girls] are going through—it’s the beginning of college for them—I was going through in high school because I was already in the city. The freedom I found in the city was when my parents started to let me go out at night. It is really exciting, you can take the train anywhere, and suddenly you are in a totally different neighborhood and you don’t know what’s going on.

On her work as a performance artist: “Well, there’s a character that I’ve been working with for a year that I created last January called Chibi Cherry, and I just did a piece with her that I’m really excited about at PS1 recently. So I’m working on some video work with that character now, and I’m really excited about that. I also have a performance, like a showcase event that I’ve been doing for a couple of years, which I’m bringing to MOMA on February 17. I’m going to have this seven-hour crazy day, and I’m just inviting all of my weird friends to do these crazy things.”

On her reservations of the fashion industry: “Fashion is a tricky word, because fashion more implies a timeline or suggests a very strict timeline, like, what’s in fashion right now, and you know, this season, next season. I have a little bit of an issue with the turnaround that is expected of the fashion world and how that leaves a negative impact on the ecology of the world, and that’s something that stresses me out. But at the same time, I was really happy to do that [Miu Miu] campaign. Everything that Miuccia Prada does is with so much care, and every detail is thought through. I appreciate people in that world who are doing their best to make really quality things that you can live with forever and you don’t need to buy a new version of it every season. For me, honestly, I own a lot of vintage and I have a lot of the same clothes I had in high school. I think it’s less about what is in style right now and more about what makes you feel comfortable and what you find interesting. My parents let me dress however I wanted since I was kid, so I’m just used to wanting to play dress-up every day.”

8 / 16

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Bryce Dallas Howard

WHAT: writer and director, Solemates

The idea to film a couple’s love story from beginning to end from the perspective of their shoes came to Bryce Dallas Howard when Canon asked her to film an experimental short on the company's 5D camera. “I was trying to think of what I could do for in the hundreds of dollars as opposed to in the thousands,” she laughed. “I was looking down at my feet, and I saw my shoes, and I was like, that’s one way to have no actors.”

On picking the right shoes for the film: “I worked with an awesome costume designer, his name is Johnny Harris, and he got so many pairs of vintage shoes. There’s a moment where this is a montage and you needed to see the family grow, and so we needed to make sure that the shoes felt like the personalities that we were establishing, even though you weren’t really seeing these characters, and also matched with every decade. It was really cool to think about it in terms of that and what our clothing means to us throughout time and what that says about a person’s life.”

On the filming process: “It’s like, okay, we’re just going to camp out at my house this weekend and do this. I loved getting to do this with my family because it felt very personal. I wore my wedding dress and my husband wore his tux. It was just like a sweet, tender experience.”

On dressing herself for the red carpet: “I actually found out about the Golden Globes on New Year’s Eve, so I only had, like, a week, pretty much. I went to Neiman Marcus with my publicist and we just took over a dressing room and tried on a lot of clothes. I mean, I love that, and I love not feeling pressure and just getting to try on a bunch of stuff and figure out what fits. And then with the Critics’ Choice look, it was just a dress that was on sale from a really cool store I love, and it was online. It’s easier. It’s like going to prom. It’s going to be a big party: You’re going to see people that you love, but everyone is going to look really nice, and the rules are to look in a fashion that celebrates the rarity of the event. I remember going shopping for my prom dress, which I still have. It’s the way I’m used to getting dresses.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Brianna Hildebrand

WHAT: actress, First Girl I Loved

Ahead of her big-screen debut this February in Marvel’s latest film franchise, Deadpool, 19-year-old Brianna Hildebrand has everyone buzzing about her performance in First Girl I Loved, a film that explores the trials and tribulations of a high school lesbian romance. “It’s a coming-of-age coming-out story,” she says. “It’s really dramatic, but funny, too. There is so much comic relief.”

On her character, Sasha: “I actually auditioned for the part of Anne to begin with, and then the director told me that he wanted me to try auditioning for Sasha. I didn’t know how I felt about that, because I didn’t know how I felt about her character. But once I started getting into her character, I realized that Sasha’s opinion of herself is influenced a lot by everyone else’s opinion of her, and I think that’s what I really liked about her, even though it is a flaw of hers. I felt that was almost the most relatable part of the film. I think other people’s opinions will ultimately affect your own, if you let them.”

On training for the Marvel film Deadpool: “I had to learn to run like a superhero. Apparently there is a special way to run like a superhero, which I didn’t know. It’s actually pretty hard. It’s about how high you lift your knees and the way you pump your arms and how level your head is. Stuff that you have to think about that is small, that you don’t normally have to think about. I did that and trained a little bit in muay Thai actually with this guy named Robert Alfonso.”

On a future in the music business: “Actually it’s funny, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. I’m a singer-songwriter, and I play the guitar. But once I got out there, I just kind of fell into acting and modeling, and my managers talked me into going to classes and all of that kind of stuff. I still write songs every day, so I think definitely I’d like to put out a body of work eventually, but I’d like it to be a solid body of work that I’m sure about.”

On shaving her head: “I went through a lot of crazy hair phases two or three years ago. I was a hippie at one point and refused to cut my hair, and then one day, I was like, No, I want short hair,and I cut it all off. And then I just got addicted to cutting my hair. So I had a pixie and a mohawk and all these crazy things going on, and then I just thought, The only thing I haven’t done is shave my head, so maybe I should give that it try. I called my manager up and was like, “Hey, I just want to let you know that I’m going to shave my head today,” and he was freaking out. When I auditioned for Deadpool, it was probably about a year after I had originally shaved my head, and they liked it shaved, so I kept it shaved for another few months after that.”

10 / 16

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Nathalie Emmanuel

WHAT: actress, Wave

British actress Nathalie Emmanuel stepped out of the Game of Thrones fantasy world and right into the immersive, multimedia world of Wave, one of a number of virtual reality films to debut at this year’s festival. "It was a probably the weirdest two days [of shooting] ever," she says. "They use a camera that shoots 360, and you just shoot in real time. They don’t cut or anything; it’s all continuous.”

On Wave’s virtual reality experience: “It was kind of weird being in this environment, because you are so immersed; you can literally look all around you—up, down, everywhere. You see depth and those sorts of the things. I can’t even find the words; it’s just so impressive visually. There are loads of changing things and stuff flying that make you turn around and look behind you. It’s such a weird experience.”

On what we can expect from Season 6 of Game of Thrones:“They always manage to outdo themselves with each season, but I can only really speak for my story and my character’s point of view. At the end of Season 5, we were left in quite a predicament, and you’ve got Tyrion, Missandei, and Grey Worm all sort of having to decide what Meereen needs and what to do without Daenerys. So it’s obviously a position none of those characters have been in before. I think the only character that’s had any kind of experience leading is Tyrion. Now he is being faced with two very, very different personalities, and you see that funny dynamic throughout the season and how those three characters relate to one another or not, and it’s good fun.”

On her advice for girls with curly hair: “Just embrace it. I feel like there are so many more girls embracing their natural hair, and it’s so beautiful, and I love that. I’m pretty lucky, actually, because my mom always encouraged me to wear my hair natural. I used to hate it, growing up, until I learned how to do it and I figured out what my hair needs. And I think that’s the key thing, because some people need different things for their hair. It’s like a trial-and-error situation. And I think I did that for so many years, and when I figured out how to do it, I actually really loved my hair. There are so many different natural styles you can do and so many products that will help you do that, and again, it’s just doing research and finding out what your hair wants. And also getting a trim regularly.”

On the most beloved piece in her wardrobe: “Well, actually, what I wear all the time is—my sister got me this vintage shearling black leather jacket that just serves me very well in London where it’s so cold. I love it even more because it was from my sister and she found it for me. It’s really big and oversized and comfortable."

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Sarah Gadon

WHAT: actress, Indignation and 11.23.63

Canadian actress Sarah Gadon's recent roles have hovered around a 30-year time period: Gadon followed up a role playing Queen Elizabeth on V-E Day in 1945 in A Royal Night Out with the ’50s drama Indignation, and her latest role is in Hulu’s time-travel series, 11.23.63, about the Kennedy assassination. “It was kind of perfect, because I went from Midwest early-1950s America to early-1960s Southern politics in America, and it was kind of like I was revving up to go to that place.”

On the inspiration behind her Indignation character: “A big inspiration for [director] James Schamus and I for Olivia Hutton was Sylvia Plath. I spent a lot of time reading her poetry. I reread The Bell Jar, and I read her journals, actually. James really believed that [the author] Philip Roth was very influenced by Sylvia Plath in the writing of Olivia Hutton, so that was an inspiration we really took in accessing that kind of troubled person at that time.”

On working with James Franco in 11.23.63: “James is an incredible artist; he is an incredible actor, and it was wonderful to work opposite of him because he’s also a dedicated performer. It was really special to work with him.”

On the costumes of both projects: “The ’50s, especially in our film Indignation, was very collegiate. Everything was plaid, saddle shoes, and pointy bras, and the silhouette of the ’50s is very sexy, very hourglass. And then the ’60s, especially being a working women, a lot of the inspiration came from Tippi Hedren and all of those great suits and professional looks. I have this blue suit that I really love and wear twice in the show. I actually took one version with me.”

On her best winter styling tip: “You can be warm and still look stylish. I think great coats are the best part about wintertime, and making sure that they are tailored to you. Taking the time to really invest in a coat is important, because you’ll have that for the rest of your life. Two or three years ago, I treated myself to a camel Max Mara coat, and I’ll have it for the rest of my life. It’s a classic.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Azita Ghanizada

WHAT: actress, Complete Unknown

Azita Ghanizada was on the verge of leaving Hollywood for good when she found herself on the set of Complete Unknown. The film, which centers on a dinner party and a complicated relationship between the host (Michael Shannon) and a mysterious guest (played by Rachel Weisz), would reinvigorate her passion for the business. “I think I probably learned the most working on this,” she revealed. “I would say I didn’t fall into my shoes as an actor until I did this.”

On working with Rachel Weisz: “She was a school for me. And when I say that, I mean I’ve had the privilege to work with so many talented actors, and nobody I’ve ever worked with was as giving and elegant and fun. And she was such an example and inspiration of the kind of woman I want to be in the business. On a set, she’s smart and sharp and funny, and she’s just very good at what she does.”

On being an Afghanistan refugee in Hollywood: “You know, in Hollywood, it’s like feast or famine, so when they give you things, you just take them, especially when nobody looks like you. You are not sure where you fit in, and you have this really weird name. So I had got in the habit of saying yes. And then when I got to [Complete Unknown], there was so much time taken and detail spent, that something happened for me creatively that I didn’t know could happen. So it changed me creatively. To have no expectations and to have it come to Sundance and bought by Amazon, it has been really special.”

On independent filmmaking: “It’s interesting, because in the independent film landscape, your story counts for something. Who you are as a human being matters, what you experience matters. I love the way independent filmmakers think, because they think outside the box. They aren’t out to make something popular. Independent film has an open landscape for actors of all shapes and sizes and colors and it’s not as narrow-minded as sometimes the business can be.”

On her love of fashion: “I styled myself for this whole event. I like putting together my own looks because I want to represent who I am creatively and people have their different idea. Like, people kept telling me Sundance is going to be bulky sweaters and snow boots, but I wanted to wear what I want to look like. Sometimes in Hollywood, people play it safe a lot, which is fine, but I just want to be me. That’s my motto in 2016: Just be you. And if it doesn’t work, you’ll get it right the next time.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Abigail Spencer

WHAT: actress, Rectify

Before there was Serial and Making a Murderer, there was Sundance Channel’s Rectify. Heading into its fourth and final season, the series tells the story of a man who served 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. “It’s the soulful storytelling,” Rectify star Abigail Spencer tells us. “It’s the private moments of all the people who would be involved in a case like this.”

On the appeal of the show: “I think Rectify is a good pairing for Making a Murderer and Serial or some of these zeitgeist-y shows—I call them, like, the medical version of Rectify—is now you get to go home with the people and see how it actually affects their lives.”

On subscribing to a uniform: “I love a turtleneck. I would wear a turtleneck winter, spring, summer, and fall. My uniform right now is I have these amazing R. Soles cowboy boots, these Ralph Lauren leather pants, a white T-shirt, and then I’ll change up the jacket situation. I really like to play with outerwear, and I just got this great Coach jacket. So I always have a layer, and then this is my go-to bag from my friend’s line called Larsen & Lund. I’m telling you, you cannot believe how much you can fit into this bag. This is my staple.”

On her most memorable red carpet looks: “A few yeas ago, I went to a Save the Children event before the Golden Globes, and I wore a vintage black-and-gold gown that I found myself in Baton Rouge. And I wore my hair really straight. It was like a total Demi Moore tribute; I just loved it. And it was cool, because I styled myself and it felt really me, and was a little ’80s, which is great. And then when I went to the Toronto Film Festival a couple of years ago for This Is Where I Leave You, and I wore this incredible Dolce & Gabbana piece. I mean, it was art. And it could have gone either way. I wanted to pull out so many times, but it was awesome. And then also for This Is Where I Leave You, at the premiere, I wore this black-and-white, very structured, one-shoulder Paule Ka dress, and it was just super-me. I just loved it so much. I would say those are three standouts.”

14 / 16

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Jurnee Smollett-Bell

WHAT: actress, Underground

The opportunity to portray a strong African-American woman brought Jurnee Smollett-Bell to the WGN American’s latest series, Underground. “I read a lot of the slave narratives, first-person accounts of men and women who had survived and lived to tell their story,” she tells us of preparing for the character of Rosalee, a young slave in 1857 who risks her life for freedom.

On the challenging film conditions: “We shot on the actual plantations and at the rural life museum, which was the actual slave quarters. You are running all the time. You already can’t breathe in a corset, but then to have to run for your life and keep up with the boys, because I was definitely not going to let them outrun me. That was definitely challenging. I wouldn’t wish that upon my worst enemy. But these were the conditions that these men and women had to face. So if it wasn’t the slave-catcher or the dogs chasing you, it was the conditions that were going to kill you. Just having those heavy odds against you, yet you still try, that kind of bravery is just so inspiring.”

On spending quality time with the cast: “We would have cookouts, we would dance, and we had game night, which became very competitive.”

On her Sundance staples: “These Bed Stu boots have been really great. And honestly, my coats. I have a Pendleton coat that I love, and then this Moose Knuckles coat.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Jessica de Gouw

WHAT: actress, Underground

While the Underground Railroad narrative has been done before, Australian actress Jessica De Gouw assures us this isn’t a stuffy retelling. “It’s not a bonnet drama; it’s racy and fast. The whole show is on the move and you meet all these people from all walks of life and all aspects of the time and the place.”

On her character, Elizabeth Hawkes: “She sort of begins the show as an aimless socialite who doesn’t really have a purpose or a reason for being, and her energy is quite misdirected. And then she’s sees for the first time, in the flesh, what these people are experiencing and she decides that she can’t not help. So she throws all of her energy and all of her love into helping these people for what is their basic human right.”

On filming in America: “I’ve never been to the South before, so I learned a lot about American culture and experiencing different people. I’m Australian, so a lot of this has been new to me. I’ve done American shows before, but I’ve never shot in America.”

On her personal style: “It’s a lot of black jeans. Ankle boots and jeans; not much else.”

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Jenna Peffley

WHO: Anna Baryshnikov

WHAT: actress, Manchester by the Sea

Newcomer Baryshnikov’s first feature film came with some pretty incredible perks. “We did have a few weeks of table rehearsals, and I got to watch Michelle Williams take notes and ask questions,” she told us. “Just watching the other people work, to me, was the most memorable part.”

On building onscreen chemistry with actor Lucas Hedges: “I remember I read opposite him a little before he was cast, and he would leave, and I would be like, I love him! I think I would be his friend if I met him in real life, so it was really easy.”

On the women she’d love to work with: “I would like drop dead on the floor if I got to work with Patricia Clarkson, Allison Janney, and Annette Bening. They are some actresses I’ve grown up watching.”

On the stylish women who inspire her: “Honestly, my roommates. Before living with them, I didn’t know what went into fashion. One of my roommates works for Zac Posen. They had a theme that was like old hotel Hollywood vibe, so one Sunday I was helping her, holding my iPhone and a light up to the wall so she could take a picture. And then the next week I saw a print that she made out of that shadow, and then suddenly there was a day when the print went down the runway. It was the first time I saw the thought and the inspiration that goes into a piece.”